


Transgressing Monotony

by Stolen_Writer



Category: Final Fantasy XIV
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-27
Updated: 2020-09-27
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:40:55
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,105
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26676826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Stolen_Writer/pseuds/Stolen_Writer
Summary: The day he saw the crystalline blue flash crash down, feeling the earth shake for what felt like hours, he knew his own dreams of sleeping the days out had crashed along with it.
Relationships: Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch & G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch, Solus zos Galvus | Emet-Selch/G'raha Tia | Crystal Exarch
Comments: 4
Kudos: 13





	Transgressing Monotony

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This fanfic has been simmering for quite some time. I have finally dedicated some time for myself to finish it, or rather a part of it. What was supposed to be a sort of one shot, ended up having more of an open ending or prologue feel to it. Hopefully it will be a fun or interesting read, regardless. Please, enjoy!

Cold, frosty night. Just like all the ones before it had been for a while. The remnants of the raindrops leaving a trail, notifying that it would indeed return tomorrow. Trickling with small drops here and there, just to make sure no one forgot the feeling, the night grew darker, the city quieter, lighter, illuminated by artificial light. It was the sign of a spectacle to appear. The only organic light to soak every single part of lonely Amaurot... the tower covered in crystal. Its dim glow was enough to give out a soothing gleam that helped children sleep and adults contemplate the beauties of the dark.

The tower had fallen right in the middle of the city and with it, atmospheric changes followed, unease increased, yet ever the respectful and quiet creatures, the Amaurotines decided not to mess with it, to leave matters to the specialists of those fields. Particularly, the Convocation, or rather Emet-Selch, the Architect himself. Who better than him to investigate such an otherworldly infrastructure, far more gigantic than their own? Oh, but that was just one of the many titles he had been given, burdening the so-called lazy man by making him an active part of that closed-off society. This was, of course, his friend Hythlodaeus’ fault, coincidentally the Chief of the Bureau of the Architect. _Lucky me_ , Emet-Selch thought.

The day he saw the crystalline blue flash crash down, feeling the earth shake for what felt like hours, he knew his own dreams of sleeping the days out had crashed along with it. But he also heard the call, the voice of what he assumed was that strange tower’s will. Almost like a sick joke, but he had to recognize no one in the city could think of creating a tower of perfect crystal, with rough details on the outside and a secluded inside that could just be a mush of crystals. To add to such oddness, it even landed perfectly in the middle of their home, preventing casualties, as if it were meant to be there. What could the purpose of that tower be? He was unsure, but, if he knew his friend well… 

The assignment envelope rested on the floor, half of it beneath his door. He glanced at it every now and then. Maybe staying home was a better choice. If he never got out, he had no reason to respond. A quiet sigh, reflecting a smoke of the cold temperature. His friend wouldn’t allow it. He was the chief for a reason, and he would not give up… ever. Emet-Selch had to recognize that he himself had great curiosity about that tower, gazing from the large window towards the middle of the city. The night would never be completely dark, and the days would never shine quite as much as they used to. In a perpetual dim-lit state, Amaurot stood in obscurity, its people whispering preoccupied questions. It would be negligent of him not to do his part. His heart, regardless of what he said, could not leave it all undone. It was time to examine the tower and what it meant for them as a people.

Heavy breath and his robes were adjusted almost perfectly, his face and neck exposed to the cold of the outside. Steps quiet, they stopped right before the envelope, crouching and grabbing it tight to pull it out of the edge of the door. Out of habit, he rubbed the surface of it, no dust had caught up to it. Ripped open, the contents exposed what he already knew. ‘ _The tower standing at the middle of the city of Amaurot. The Architect is to go investigate and study the infrastructure, along with any other details related to it. Please, inform us of all your findings and bring peace to our beloved and uneasy neighbors._ ’

“Did you have to go for a dramatic ending there?” he spoke, as if complaining to the author of the letter. The door was shifted open and, right there he heard an answer.

“If I did not, I feared you would not be as interested. Good to know I was right to add it! Here, for your efforts, soon to come.” A man with a soft, yet energetic voice handed over a big foam cup full of hot coffee. Completely cloaked up, his robes attempted to hide that trademark smugness he usually had in front of Emet-Selch.

“I would’ve listened regardless. I had no choice, _chief_.” The exposed one replied, accepting the coffee with a scowl. It only served to make the other burst out laughing, yet he didn’t admit or deny it. Brushing it off, he turned around, Emet-Selch was already walking alongside him down the hall and into the outside. Small sips of coffee, the wind only grew colder as they made their way towards the tower.

Hythlodaeus was quiet, as if getting close to the tower made him uneasy. And, honestly, Emet-Selch couldn’t blame him, seeing the tower from up close, it made chills run down his spine – not only from the cold – the sheer height of it, as well as the aura it oozed.

“It is like nothing I have seen or created before.” The Architect whispered; his steps shy for the first time in ages. He wavered, forgetting he had his companion close. To him, the only things existing at the moment were him and the tower, fingers reaching towards one of the edges. The touch, it sent a shock to the very tip of his fingers, threatening to crystalize him along. But, despite him sinking his fingers against it, feeling the uncanny chill of the cold crystals, crystallization never arrived… Maybe the tower willed it so.

“You feel it too, right? The tower is… somehow sentient.” The friend he had forgotten about for some minutes voiced his concerns in a diminished voice, quite unlike him. Emet-Selch turned to the side to face him, honey eyes making contact, though almost absent-mindedly.

“There’s someone inside there.” Was the firm answer to the question the other had made, though not a real one. “I can hear an ancient voice. It asks to get out and it asks not to.”

Hythlodaeus remained silent because he knew something else was to come out of his friend’s voice. “But, which one to listen to? Which contradiction to follow?” He already had the answer to it. Days had gone by and nothing else had happened with the tower. The temperature and scenery unstable, the tower had done nothing else but stand firmly on the ground, reaching the skies of the sleepy city, threatening to remain unchanged. As if unfazed by the fact that people around it seemed concerned and looked for answers to drag it out of their home.

There was no other choice than to try to stir it up. To explore it, as it dictated. If nothing happened, everything would remain the same, the Architect assumed.

“Hades…” his voice softer, worried, Hythlodaeus placed his hand on the man’s shoulder. Of course, he trusted the man, one of the few he trusted with his very soul. But, seeing him so conflicted, as if this tower could make or break the fate of their city, it weighed in his head and made his usually calm and determined demeanor break, ever so slightly.

“It’s Emet-Selch right now, no? The Architect is the one assigned for this task.” Golden eyes stared sternly in an attempt to ease his friend with something as simple as a title. His companion scoffed, shaking his head in acceptance. “I suppose you are right. It is time to explore this tower and rid us of this wonder.”

Emet-Selch affirmed with a quiet nod, as a familiar friend would usually do. There was nothing else to say, only his steps spoke for them. Standing right in the middle of the tower, he could see what seemed to be a crystalized door tightly shut. But it only took a slow approach of fingers, not quite touching the structure, to make it open up. Crystals creaked, separating, and releasing an even colder air, brushing robes and nearby trees. The Architect inhaled the dry air, groaning under his breath. It would only get colder, the further he went. _Great_.

Now his steps caused a small echo, announcing the arrival of a foreigner into the insides of an unknown, secluded structure. Somehow like Amaurot, this tower had kept his secrets intact from them for a while, but eventually all things would be discovered, he himself would make it so.

Yet, something about his steps seemed lonely. He turned over to glance at the back, noticing his friend and chief had remained in the outside looking in with a somewhat pained and uncertain expression. “Aren’t you coming with me?” the Architect asked. Sure, the place was unnerving, but he knew that, just like him, Hythlodaeus must’ve been curious as to what was inside. But, what he caught glimpse of was not curiosity.

“I cannot…” was the reply he gave before the doors to the tower closed themselves shut, separating the two and leaving Emet-Selch to wonder if Hythlodaeus knew more than he let on… As always. Maybe, he shouldn’t have even questioned it. No need to think about it too hard, though, not now. His body turned back to face the inside of the tower. Now, concentrating on it, he could take in the symmetrical beauty of the tower. It almost felt like a castle, ancient and bruised, but beautiful. It definitely was something else. Emet-Selch affirmed that he wouldn’t be able to replicate something remotely close, yet he was being modest… but only because he was discussing this in his thoughts.

So, which set of stairs should he take? They lead to the same place, didn’t they? Was this a place where many gathered? It was sizeable enough to take in many, to shelter many more. He went for the left side on a whim, and every step lowered the temperature, but it exposed a bit more of that unknown territory, so he went for it. Walking along he wondered why the absolute cold hadn’t rendered his body useless already. That’s when it hit him, maybe the decrease in temperature was a mental machination implanted by the tower, at least inside there. There was no way he could resist the sensation without literally freezing.

His thoughts shifted from the illusion of temperature that attempted to keep him out, the concise structures, elevators and the technological feel of it to the towering image of a throne that stood before him up top… and a crystal statue of a man of almost his same height. No point in standing still for another 5 minutes, Emet-Selch convinced himself to investigate further. Step after echoing step, he finally faced the statue. It was the shape of a cloaked man guarding the gigantic throne, standing menacingly while holding a strange staff with his right hand. A lonely sight, but one that would bewilder anyone. It was almost as if he were a real man, stuck in stasis by some kind of twisted magic. Why watch over an empty throne, inside a lonely tower? Why fall?

“A silent vigil, for a world abandoned? Or maybe the memory of something long gone? What does this tower guard? What were _you_ guarding?” A bunch of questions that wouldn’t find answer, he had assumed, yet a crackling noise alarmed him of something, whatever it was. He looked from one side to the next, hoping it was not the tower crumbling.

He looked towards the ground and there he saw it, a sentence that somehow made his heart sink. “Awaken, beacon of hope…” And the chant was complete.

The breaking of crystal sounded almost like the rumblings of a thunderstorm and, in the blink of an eye, what used to be a crystal statue was exposed as a living, breathing man. From a standing defensive position, a glint of red was visible through the cape and without a second thought the man leaped over the Architect. The force of that recently awakened body as it dove against the one before it - that had been functioning for centuries - caused the very same functioning body to stagger and fall onto the perfectly sculpted ground. Having the strange presence on top of him, robe uncovered, he could finally visualize him better. The strange statue- no, man, had the eyes of crimson moons from distant galaxies, the intensity of something unknown, raging but with purpose.

Emet-Selch could not believe what he was witnessing, what he was facing. His eyes widened as they had not in years, his mind blank.

“I will not let Allag fall!” first words in a voice so sweet, but so heart-rending that it made the Amaurotine’s eyes gather dew. Impressed, he laid there, staring back at the exposed figure. Strange structure of eyes, ears protruding from the top of his head surrounded by bright red hairs, demeanor quick and dedicated, pushing that strange staff close to the man he thought of as a threat, he was an all-around enigma, it made Emet-Selch’s soul vibrate in excitement, a small adrenaline of facing something he had no idea of how to handle.

“ _Allag? Is that this tower’s name?_ ” the white-haired Amaurotine dared ask. The red-haired one paused at the words, ears standing completely up. The man moved his staff away and respectfully answered. “W…Ween woon?” or rather asked, trying to make sense of the noise he heard.

“ _Excuse me?_ ” Emet-Selch responded, to no avail as the other’s ears twitched once again, confusion present. Of course! Why didn’t he think of such an outcome? He could understand the strange man’s words, but the other hadn’t been able to get a thing of what he was saying. Emet-Selch cleared his throat a bit, concentrating the tone of his voice into one direction, lowering the vibration, and increasing the intensity.

“Allag? Is that this tower’s name?” he repeated, and the un-crystallized man listened… A silence enveloped the two and, after the boy let it simmer, he started laughing. This did not make the Architect even remotely happy, quickly scowling, observing from the floor as the boy stood and liberated him from his weight. Stepping to one side, he leaned a bit towards the Amaurotine’s displeased face. “Of course not! Allag is home, are you not aware? And here I thought I was the farthest behind. You look wise, but we had been taught not to judge by appearances.” In between giggles, who had once seemed like a stoic and security-oriented figure, showed the reality of his demeanor and energy. But he also exposed the fact that he knew nothing of what had happened to the tower.

Emet-Selch would not let it go, so he smirked back, although he wasn’t really happy, he just wanted to get back at him. “Well, it seems _you_ are not aware. You are not in the so-called ‘Allag’ home you mentioned, but rather in the city of Amaurot. As far as we are aware, there is no such place called Allag.” He used his arms to incorporate his upper body up. Though he preferred to lay down, he had something else to watch out for, added to his mission. A quiet sigh, yet instead of feeling this as tedious, it felt like a real duty to uphold. Normally, he would move away, but once the boy’s face contorted into terror or just uncertainty, he knew that this was something he had to take care of himself.

“Do not alarm yourself. We know not how this tower ended up here, but we are aware of the fact that it fell from the sky.” But his words only made things worse. The boy’s ears twitched, and he sprinted down the stairs. Emet-Selch gasped, rising quickly to follow suit. The boy shook his staff to the side and the doors that had divided the two Amaurotine earlier, easily made way for the bound boy to step into the outside.

As he was out, a deep breath was taken, eyes that were now mismatched, gazed towards the dim sky and the strange trees surrounding the only familiar silhouette, that of the tower. This place, along with the wind that blew from it, the smell and even the feeling, it was definitely not home. Ears lowered; the boy knew the strange man was right. This was not home, and he was really far away from it. “This sky is nothing like home’s. This sensation is so… different. It is not Allag, you were right. This is not where I should be. But, then, why? Why am I here? Why is the tower here with me?”

“I may not know the answer to any of those questions, but…” the white-haired man’s hands shamelessly placed themselves on top of the other’s shoulders, dragging his attention from the dread consuming him, to only his image. “I definitely can find them. I need only investigate. And for that, I will need your cooperation.” As his chief had said many a time before, his heart was kind and warm, regardless of how much he tried to seclude himself, to deny it. Regardless of the extreme darkness looming in, he was kind, he wanted to help. “Swearing it on my title as Emet-Selch, I will see this through.”

And somehow, the otherworldly man knew that the man who identified himself as Emet-Selch was speaking truth, almost as if that enveloped the very fiber of his being. The feeling of being lost, of not knowing what to do, was definitely much more bearable with someone else. He hoped to be able to rely on him. With that hope upheld, mismatched eyes closed, a small smile formed and a nod came later. “’Tis an honor to hear such a determined declaration. If those words are true, then I will do my utmost to follow, to see it through and repay you, when the time is right. I swear it on my title as Crystal Exarch… and as G’raha Tia.”

That was how it commenced. A mission to look for answers, to discover each other and the worlds unknown. Sadly, this would not start as warmly as they both tried to make it be. Emet-Selch was to inform the Convocation and Hythlodaeus himself of what he had found, this included who he had found. Emet-Selch could see the mayhem from a mile away, but what else could he do? It was time to push the gears of change in that drowsy city and his even drowsier self, somehow, could seldom wait.

**Author's Note:**

> That is all, for now! Thank you so much for taking your time to read this! I hope it was to your liking. This world is a bit of a mystery to me, as well. So, I would like to develop it more some time. Again, I appreciate that you took some time to read this and hope you have an amazing day!
> 
> Feel free to follow me on Twitter @StolenWriter if you want to have updates on my progress!


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